Koersel — a small mining village in the Belgian Kempen — issued paper fractional currency during World War I under German occupation, when official coinage was systematically hoarded or requisitioned and small-change paralysis gripped nearly every Belgian commune. Municipal emergency notes of this type were authorized locally, not by any central authority, making each issuer essentially its own monetary jurisdiction for the duration.
The spelling "Coursel" on the face reflects the French-language administrative convention then standard in Belgian official documents, even in the predominantly Dutch-speaking Limburg province.
Koersel — a small mining village in the Belgian Kempen — issued paper fractional currency during World War I under German occupation, when official coinage was systematically hoarded or requisitioned and small-change paralysis gripped nearly every Belgian commune. Municipal emergency notes of this type were authorized locally, not by any central authority, making each issuer essentially its own monetary jurisdiction for the duration.
The spelling "Coursel" on the face reflects the French-language administrative convention then standard in Belgian official documents, even in the predominantly Dutch-speaking Limburg province.